Saturday, June 28, 2008

The comment field now has 47 entries. That's not a lot for Salon.com, but for this site? It's like a Russian novel. My friend Dr. Ralph has requested that a bound, gold-leaf copy be printed for each contributor. Go there. Read. Marvel. We are an opinionated tribe, aren't we?

Thomas's argument was that there is only one way to interpret Christianity: His way.

As best I can tell, Obama's religious beliefs about religious inclusiveness can be summarized as follows: If there is such a thing as a just and loving Creator, this Creator didn't restrict his revelation to a small tribe in the Middle East, and then damn everyone else to eternal torture.

There was a brief internet flare-up about Cal Thomas's editorial, and that was the end of it. (I can promise you that as we approached November the Republicans were planning to trot out every theological statement Obama's ever made.)

June 24th, 2008 12:44 PM EasternDo They Think Jesus Was a Liar?By Cal ThomasSyndicated Columnist/FOX News ContributorI am shocked and appalled over a newly published survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. It finds most Americans believe there are many ways to salvation besides their own faith. Most disturbing of all is the majority of self-identified evangelical Christians who believe this.I was shocked also. Much like I was shocked the first time I got a winning lottery ticket. But appalled? Nope. Not even close. Downright giddy would describe me after I read it.

Granted, there's a lot of "slop" in a survey like this one. Are Baptists and Methodists two different religions? How about Roman Catholicism vs. Eastern Orthodox? Here's Cal again:

Apparently they must think Jesus was a liar, or mistaken, when he said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me.” Look it up. This theological ignorance is a product of several things. It is surely a product of biblical illiteracy by people who don’t read, or selectively read scripture. It is also fallout from the political correctness vice that says you are intolerant if you believe anything to be true, because people who have another truth, or no truth, might feel bad and experience rejection.

It's not that they don't read, or selectively read scripture. It's that they take it seriously enough to read some things besides scripture. They read about the origins of scripture. They read about the old battles regarding what is and what isn't scripture. Some of them get downright obsessed with it, and discover that scripture changed and evolved over the years.

And they might have a few friends who grew up in a different place with different traditions, yet know them to be pretty good people all the same. Perhaps they're even better people than Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker and Ted Haggard and unhhh me.

People aren't as geographically isolated as they once were. This makes it harder to eternally condemn those who were born elsewhere.

If they feel rejection now, wait until they hear “away from me, I never knew you.”Tolerance is a good thing. People should tolerate and respect people of different faiths, or no faith. But watering down your own set of professed doctrines in order to appeal to the lowest spiritual common denominator is akin to Peter denying Christ three times.

But Cal, sometimes you learn a few things.

The Presbyterian church used to be identified with the loathsome concept of Infant Damnation. Mark Twain once quipped that a Presbyterian without that particular doctrine would be like "a dog on the train that couldn't be identified because it had lost its tag." There were some in the fundamentalist camp who opposed this "watering down of professed doctrines" but Twain sarcastically suggested "that they give up the comforts of Infant Damnation, and try to bear it as best they can."

(BTW, you could still hear the doctrine professed and taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as recently as 1984. Dr. Boyd Hunt. Systematic Theology.)

If there are many paths to heaven, Jesus suffered and died for nothing. I believe that Jesus suffered and died because he stood up to the government. Read more about that opinion by clicking here.

He could have stayed in heaven, sent down a book of sayings and avoided crucifixion.And if God/Jesus wanted to "save" the world the way that Cal Thomas believes he wants it saved? That's probably what he would've done.

Orthodox Christians have always believed – and their Bible teaches them — there is only one path to heaven and it is through Jesus Christ and him alone. But orthodoxy, whether it's in theology, military strategy, computer code, or piano technique, is something that develops over a long, long culling process. Things are tried. Things fail. Votes are taken. Motions are defeated. And whether Cal Thomas knows about it or not, that's exactly how his "orthodox" Christian views were developed.

One can believe whatever one wishes, but you can’t be considered a Christian without believing in this fundamental doctrine.

I've got to disagree with that. So does 70% of the religiously affiliated United States.

Christian churches have a lot of work to do in addressing biblical illiteracy, ignorance and, yes, heresy, in their midst.

I agree. A good starting point would be to read the best book ever on Biblical literacy, Biblical origins, and Biblical reliability: The Five Gospels, written by the infamous Jesus Seminar.

They might want to pay more attention to fixing what’s gone wrong among their members before expending too much energy on politics and politicians.

Yeah. The members aren't as easy to manipulate as they used to be. Wonder why?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

As many of you know, we have had a series of preventable accidents in the last few days. Both situations were due to employees failing to follow established procedure.We have security video of the first mishap.In this accident, a group of employees are attempting to bury an IED near a well-travelled highway.Note that the employees are not wearing their safety glasses. The camels in the background are not properly equipped with seat belts, nor are there any chocks nearby to keep the camels from sliding forward. And is anyone in this video wearing his back brace? I don't think so.All of these regulations were covered during orientation, and the training records are part of each employee's personnel file.

Accidents like this one are the primary cause of skyrocketing insurance premiums. And turbans. (That's what passes for humor in the Safety Consultant field.)If any employees believe that Allah will reward these accident victims with 72 virgins, they are mistaken.Touching the red wire to the red wire is not martyrdom, but suicide.Folks, it's not martyrdom unless you take an Infidel with you.

Please reset your "This Shop Has Worked ____ Days Without A Lost Time Accident" calendars back to zero.

The next accident was clearly caused by using the wrong tool for the job.No matter how many photographers are nearby, no matter how patiently you've waited for CNN to get the lighting right, you should always wear your protective heat shields when burning an American flag. And policy 35-3-C-057-(b) specifically states that American flags should not be lit by using table matches, cigarette lighters, or any other improvised ignition systems.The policy clearly states that only blowtorches are to be used.

People, the point of the exercise is to burn the flag, not to look good doing it. Get the job done, and move on to the next project.

Many of our employees apparently believe that the point of flag burning is to be seen and admired by co-workers. In the photo below, try to calculate the number of man-hours lost to this one operation:

Then ask yourself, where are everyone's I.D. badges? Where is Mahmoud's safety helmet? And who said it was ok to have that kid in the workplace?

In this picture, taken a few seconds later, the flames have spread to Mahmoud's shoulder. This led to yet another disappointment. None of the factory inspections were up-to-date; therefore the only fire extinguisher was in the nearest village, eight miles away. My subsequent investigation revealed that it was last serviced and recharged in 1987.

In the final photograph, the flames are engulfing Mahmoud's face.

His co-workers eventually put out the fire with a combination of dirt, sand, camel manure, and blankets. When I visited the hospital to complete the Accident Reports (which, BTW, were turned in before noon the next day), he was resting comfortably.

Please allow me to be blunt here. Mahmoud has been horribly disfigured, and unless he can figure out a way to die while killing infidels, he's had his last virgin. The man needs to wear a burkha.

The last few days have been a disappointment. Please remember the primary goal of our organization: Martyrdom, Martyrdom, Martyrdom.

But how will we ever succesfully kill ourselves if we keep having all of these preventable accidents?

Don't bother reading these unless you're here as the result of a key word search you got from an email. Seriously. Don't read any further. You're wasting your time. I post these because they're good for a couple of hundred key word search hits per week. These are the scam letters I've received since the last time I posted the scam letters I had received. I see you're still reading. Go away, unless you're here from a key word search. Leave. You're going to be disappointed.

They're variations on a con artist stunt called "The Spanish Prisoner". (Playwright David Mamet once worked it into the plot of a good Steve Martin movie.) Wikipedia has the most concise explanation of how the scam works.In most of these, they want access to your checking account, so they can transfer the money into the U.S. First, a dribble of cash will enter your account. Then all of your money will disappear.

*********************************************************************

Here's the first one. Note that she's at risk, and doesn't want to go against the Bible by "having a child outside her matrimonial home". Everything is done for the widows and orphans....

I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Mr.Abram Bruce, who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2004. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2. 5 Million (Two Million Five Hundred U.S. Dollars) in the bank here in Abidjan in suspense account.Presently, the fund is still with the bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that i have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained.The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence i know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the Lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives is around me always I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the Lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.Contact me on the above e-mail address for more information’s, any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.Hoping to receive your reply.Remain blessed in the Lord. Yours in Christ,Mrs Jenifer Bruce

*********************************************************************Here's the same thing, but different name, different place, different Bible verses, and different grammar....

From Mrs Susan Morgan

N�[38 Rue Des Martyrs Cocody Abidjan,Cote d'Ivoire

ATTNDEAREST ONE OF GOD I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Mr.Abram Morgan, who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2004. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2. 5 Million (Two Million Five Hundred U.S. Dollars) in the bank here in Abidjan in suspense account. Presently, the fund is still with the bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that i have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence i know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the Lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives is around me always I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the Lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Contact me on the above e-mail address for more information’s, any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.

Hoping to receive yourreply.

Remain blessed in the Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs susan morgan

***********************************************************This one wants you to get worked up over the gross sexism and unfairness of life in the 3rd world.

With Due respect Dear,I humbly write to solicit for your partnership and assistance in the transfer and investment of my inheritance fund USD$17.5M from my late father who died mysteriously last Dec. It was very evident that he was poisoned to death. In my culture, when a man dies, if he does not have a male child, the brothers shares his property leaving both the wife and the daughters empty handed including the house they live in. This is the exact case with me as I am the only daughter of my father. I lost my mother when I was barely a year old and my father refused to re-marry another wife because he felt solely responsible for my mother's death. This is so because he concentrated much on his businesses that he rarely pays attention to domestic affairs. He was always travelling taking care of his businesses that he did not notice when my mother took ill. He thought it was a minor illness and was ignorant of this. My mother on her own resorted to self-medication. It was not until the illness degenerated that my father took my mother to hospital where she was diagnosed to find out that hypatitis had eaten deep into her blood stream. She didn't last long before she died. This happened when I was barely a year old. Based on this, my father could not forgive himself easily because of it and said he was responsible for her death as he could have saved her if only he had paid attention to the things at home rather than concentrating much on his businesses. Despite all entreaties by friends and relatives, he refused to remarry but ensured that I had everything that I wanted. It was as a result of this that he made me the next of kin to his fund deposit with the bank and stated that in the event of any eventuality, I should have a direct access to the fund only when I am 24 years of age otherwise, I should have a guardian/partner intercede on my behalf for the release of the funds to me. Unfortunately, he died late last year and I am 21 years of age currently. This is why I have contacted you to serve as a guardian to me and as my foreign partner for the transfer and investment of the fund overseas My uncles does not know about the fund because they had already taken my father's houses and other properties because I am a girl and they said I do not have rights for any property. They have requested to have my father's bank papers but I simply told them that I do not know where he kept them. The younger brother took the house in the village while the houses in the town were sold out they shared the proceed they got from the sale. Right now, I am with a friend of mine and do sincerely want to travel out of my country. This can only happen when I have secured the release and transfer of the funds in the bank. This why it is important that we have a plan on the type of lucrative business that we can invest the funds on. I had at various times had discussions with the director of international remittance unit of the bank where my father deposited the funds and I was assured that once, I have someone who would be willing to receive the funds on my behalf, they shall commence all proceedings to effect the release and transfer of the funds into the person's designated account. Now, that you have signified your interest to partner with me, it would only be very necessary if you contact the bank and request for the release and transfer of my inheritance fund into your nominated account for the purpose of investment and to further have me come over to your country to continue with my studies. I shall be giving you the bank's contact details as soon as I hear back from you so that you will go ahead and contact the bank.Your urgent response will be appreciated,Pls contact me with my yahoo email address for security reason(m.abdullah88@yahoo.fr)Talk to you the more.Sincerely,Mariam abdullah

******************************************************************'And I received this one after this email was published.....COMMONWEALTH OFFICEDEBT REDEMPTION VETTING DEPARTMENTSW1A 2AH LONDON , UNITED KINGDOM .PHONE: 44-792-402-3825FAX: 44-700-609-6491EMAIL: cwealthlon@hotmail.comFROM: MR. FREDDIE JOHNRE: SUCCESSFUL RELEASE OF YOUR APPROVED FUNDSThe Commonwealth Office is particularly surprised by constant petitions frommany beneficiaries in various countries complaining long-delays on theirpayments. And, that they wasted much money in the pursuit of theirentitlement/Fund. Also, there are cases whereby two or three people are applyingfor the same Funds.Therefore, we have resolved and instructed that all Funds shall be releasedthrough maximum supervision of the Commonwealth Audits and Financial ManagementAuthority (CAFMA). We will forward the required information to you a soon asyour reply is received by this office.Congratulations in Advance.Yours faithfully,MR.FREDDIE JOHN

I caught this one in my spambox on 7-14-08.THIS IS FOR YOUR ATTENTION.We wish to notify you again that you were listed as a beneficiary to the totalsum of(Ten Million Six Hundred Thousand British Pounds) in the codicil and lasttestament of the deceased.(Name now withheld since this is our second letter toyou). We contacted you because you bear the surname identity and therefore canpresent you as the beneficiary to the inheritance.We therefore reckoned that you could receive these funds as you are qualified byyour name identity. All the legal papers will be processed in your acceptance.In your acceptance of this deal, we request that you kindly forward to us yourletter of acceptance; your current telephone and fax numbers and a forwardingaddress to enable us file necessary documents at our high court probate divisionfor the release of this sum of money.Please contact me via my private email: so that we can get this doneimmediately.Please send the details and call me to discuss more.Yours Faithfully,John Maxwell.Telephone +447 0319 52662.Cowley Road,Cambridge, CB4 0WSUnited Kingdom.

Ok, here's one from July 18th, 2008:

Dearest One, With Due Respect And Humanity, I was compelled to write to you under a humanitarian ground. My name is Mrs Lizy Joseph. I was born in Hawall?Kuwait. I am married to Mr Jerry Joseph who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2003.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $3.6 Million in a Bank here in Abidjan. And Recently, My Doctor told me that I would not last for the next six months due to my cancer problem (cancer of the lever and stroke). Presently this money is still in the Bank. Having known my condition I am in need of a HONEST Hearted Individual Christian or Church that i will utilize this fund the way I am going to instruct herein. I want somebody that will use this fund according to the desire of my late.husband to help Lessprivilaged people, orphanages,widows and propagating the word of God. I took this decision because I don抰 have any child that will inherit this fund, And I don抰 want in away where this money will be used in an unGodly way. This is why I am taking this decision to hand you over this Fund. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going.I want you to always remember me in your daily prayers because of my up coming Cancer Surgery. Write back to me as soon as possible because any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another person for this same purpose, Hoping to read from you soon. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank in Abidjan. I will also issue you an authorisation letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund.

God bless you as you listing to the voice of reasoning, May God Bless You,Mrs Lizy Joseph.

From July 26, 2008Good Day. With the hope that you are okay and doing fine, this message could be strange but is real if you pay some attention to it. My name is Mr.John kwame Ivory coast national. I inherited the sum of $9,000,000.00 USD (Nine Million us dollar) from my late parents.But l am faced with a problem.on the banks documents for the next of kin, my late father appended a clause stating that:I the next of kin, must attain the age of 35 years, before taking full control of the bank account; But, in the event of war and natural disasters in Ivory Coast, the bank should honour a transfer request from me which must be for the safety of the funds; And in this case, I must have an investment manager outside Africa, and the money should not be transferred to any African country. I am not yet 35 years, but Ivory Coast is not a safe country at this time because of the war.We have since relocated to Ghana a neighbouring country.I want the bank to transfer my money out of Ivory Coast, but the bank is insisting that l fulfill the conditions put down by my late father. Since I have established ownership of the fund, the bank has transfered the fund to Ghana upon my request and insistence, but still refused to released the money to me.This is actually the main reason why l am looking for an investment manager. I would like you to be my investment manager. When you become my investment manager, l would instruct the bank to transfer my money to the country of my investment manager, so that you would be able to help me invest the money wisely. If you would be my investment manager or you receive the deposit on my behalf and help me to providing a reliable genuine trade or company in your country where I can invest this fund immediately to save for the future of my family. please write me as soon as possible. percentage is negotiable upon your reply.Please be mindful that the fund is of no criminal origin. The transfer and investment is necessitated due to war and natural disasters in Ivory Coast, Please let me know by returned phone number/fax if we could be of some help in financing this project. My regards, Mr.John kwame

Here's one from August 4th,

Mrs Esther PrakashP.O.Box: 20581, Safat 13066 Safat KuwaitDearest in Christ, Greetings in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour, I am Mrs Esther Prakash. I am married to Mr.Prakash Anderson who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for many years before he died in the year 2005.We were married without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christian. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of (($2.600.000.00) Two million six hundred thousand dollar in a Bank in Ivory Coast . Presently, this money is still in bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a charity organization or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want an organization/person that will use this fund for orphanages, school and church, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained, Isaiah 56:7 For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that "the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace". I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence and the presence of my husband's relatives are around me always. I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank. I await your soonest response with your full information, example.Your full name.......................Address.....................................Age...........................................A copy of your int'l passport or ID card............. I will use the above information to obtain an authority letter that will prove you the new beneficiary of this fund from the Royal Court of Kuwait.I want you to always pray for me because the lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Any delay in your reply will give me room searching another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply with the above information. Remain blessed in the Lord Take care,Yours Sister in ChristMrs Esther Prakash

And a slightly more sophisticated one from August 13, 2008James Thomson & Associates.14 Queens Drive South West LondonEnglandUnited Kigdom.Dear Sir/MadamWe have our presence in all major cities in London.However, we are writing you on the strength of a directive from one ofour clients, a 56-year-old widow,who desires to invest twenty eightmillion united states dollars (US$28,000,000.00) overseas preferablyin asia or america.She has dircted us to look fo a viable investment portfolio(opportunity), partnership or an individual who can be trusted toinvest or oversee the investment of her twenty eight million unitedstates dollars(US$28,000,000.00) in america or asia. it is importantyou note the source of this fund legitimate as our client has providedsufficient evidnce to support this claim.Since our operations are limited to europe and our experience in theinvestment portfolios(opportunity) in america and asia is shallow, aswe are not conversant with the law in america and asia concerning sucha huge investment.in our quest to find a valid and viable investment portfolio inamerica and asia inlinewith our client's directive, we decided tocontact you, we got your companies contact information from theinternet, however you will be expected to provide us with a backgroundinformation concerning your self and your companies to enable us makean evaluation and advice our client on which line of action to take.Our client has proposed a commission/percentage of theinvestment(US$28,000,000,00) for your services, however the saidpercentage is negotiable.We look forward to your immediate response,Yours FaithfullyFor:- James Thomson & AssociateJames Thomson

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I have waaaay too many books in my house. Mrs. Whited Sepulchre occasionally insists on a periodic weeding and pruning of them, both for aesthetic reasons and to avoid potential problems with the foundation shifting. I have some valuable stuff. There are some first edition Twains and Faulkners, lots of other signed copies from my previous career in Literary Retail, and I've got a loaner Geneva Bible that's probably worth upwards of $50,000.00

But those aren't the most valuable books that I own. The true value lies in the books that I haven't read. These are called the Anti-Library.

Here's the point of an Anti-Library, according to Soob and Munzenberg:

"The writer Umberto Eco belongs to that small class of scholars who are encyclopedic, insightful, and nondull. He is the owner of a large personal library (containing thirty thousand books), and separates vistors into two categories: those who react with ‘Wow! Signore professore dottore Eco, what a library you have! How many of these books have you read?’ and others - a very small minority- who get the point that a private library is not an ego boosting appendage but a research tool.

Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as (you can possibly afford to) put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly.

Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call the collection of unread books an antilibrary."

So, dear faithful readers, my question for you is this.... What are the unread books in your library? Why are they unread? And what do you hope to one day learn from them? Here are some of the books in my Anti-Library.

1) The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. Edited by Robert B. Strassler, translated by Andrea L. Purvis.This thing is so densely mapped, illustrated, cross-referenced and footnoted that it's not really meant to be read straight through. I'll never finish it, and I love it as much as anything I own. There are hundreds of incidents in this book that are just waiting to be given the same cinematic treatment given to Battle of Thermopylae in the recent animated film "The 300". Despite being written 1700 years ago, you can still hear a distinct voice coming through the years and the translation. Amazing. Reading it straight through would be like too much candy.

2) Mark Twain's "The Gilded Age" and "The American Claimant". These two are about a larger than life, get-rich-quick Twain character named Colonel Sellers. I'm a Twain fanatic and own several 1st editions, as stated above, plus I have all the reference works, biographies, etc. I've probably read every book the man wrote at least twice. But I'm saving these two for my old age, especially if I come down with a severe illness - the idea being that I won't let go of life without finishing all of Twain's books.Here's one of the reviews from Amazon, by someone named Kerry Walters: "I recently went back to reread "The Gilded Age". The more things change, the more they stay the same! Twain's dissection of unscrupulous tycoons wanting to get richer, corrupt senators jumping in bed with the tycoons by cutting them sweet political deals, and get-rich crazy middle class types who kiss up for their cut of the pie could've all been taken from last night's news."On second thought, I might start reading these tonight.

3) "Pylon" by William Faulkner. About 20 years ago, I purchased a copy of Joseph Blotner's two-volume Faulkner biography. While reading the biography, every time I got to a Faulkner letter, short story, novel, or screenplay in the biography, I read the letter, short story, novel, or screenplay in question all the way through before continuing any further with the biography. It was a two-year project. But I didn't read Pylon, and I can't remember why. Perhaps it's because I hate closure. (When I finished reading all that Faulkner, it took me almsot two years to re-learn how to speak English.)

4) The "Left Behind" series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Just joking.

5) HTML 4 for Dummies. Not joking. Any time you see something on this site besides straight unpunctuated typing, it's because of this book. You can't imagine the pride I felt when, for the first time, I was able to post a YouTube video. I've actually changed the size of some pictures. And that Blockquote thing I did for the Black Swan quote up there?.... pretty impressive, huh?This isn't the kind of book you finish. It's the kind of book you throw across the room when you forget to properly close off a set of H2 parameters, and you realize that you've posted an entire Blog Carnival in headline sized type. Scares the crap out of the weiner dogs.

So I'd like to ask the following people for their favorite volumes in their Anti-Libraries. Some of you don't have a blog, so please respond in the comment field below. (For a good sampling, look at the comment field in Soobdujour.) If you have your own site, and feel that this idea is worth a post, please do so and link back to this site. Or you can blow the thing off.

I'd really like to hear from:

Dr. Liz at Zbeth Journall Dr. Liz is in a class with me at our church. She finishes one mystery novel per day, and reviews it at her blog.

I must include Dr. Ralph. BTW, Dr. Ralph, I saw your spousal companion at a meeting tonight, and she says you look at this site before you even speak to her in the mornings. I...don't...really know....what to say....to that.

How about DG at TCU. DG doesn't have a site, but is now formally invited to type away in the comment field below. Ditto for JG from BBC.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Dr. James Dobson, of "Focus On The Family", has grown weary of living outside the political limelight, so he's going to be attacking Barack Obama sometime Tuesday. He'll be claiming that Barack Obama has distorted the Bible, and if elected, will distort the Constitution.

The basis of this attack will be a speech that Obama made in 2006 to a liberal Christian group named "Call To Renewal".

According to the link above, Dr. Dobson will claim that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, has a "fruitcake" view of the constitution.

If the Dobson response to it goes online in a timely manner, I'll link it also.

Just for grins and giggles, here's a link to a previous Dobson jihad against Spongebob Squarepants, who Dr. Dobson thought favored a pro-homosexual, pro - gay and lesbian, pro -diversity worldview. (After all, Spongebob is often seen holding hands with Patrick the starfish.)

Many people will give Obama's religious views as much (if not more) scrutiny than his views on the economy, healthcare, Iraq, or Social Security.Talk Radio junkies will hear and read about this all day Tuesday. I promise.Just wanted to get ahead of the curve on this one.

Update from Tuesday, June 24th 7:00 p.m. Here is a link to the audio broadcast. I sat down with good intentions. I was going to type out the Internet's first transcript of this discussion between Dr. James Dobson and his right hand man, Tom Minnery.

My fingers wouldn't do it. They went on strike. They refused to type some of those sentences. And I don't think it'll ever be done. You couldn't outsource this horrific task to Burmese typhoon orphans. They'd turn up their noses and walk away, since they still have their pride. Lord have mercy, what a mess.

First, Dobson tries to get offended by Obama's statement about " if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's?"

They try to infer that Obama was equating Dr. James Dobson and Rev. Al Sharpton.

Well, he wasn't equating them, you dogmatic twits...

He was contrasting the two, portraying them as being on opposite ends of a very wide continuum.

Then they attack his percentages, and his statement that 70% of Americans identify with an organized religion. Their point is that Obama coulda said "Christian religion" instead of "organized religion". That was enough to send them running for the Smelling Salts.

It goes on from there. Mostly downhill. They get into why the Hebrew scriptures (also known as The Holy Word of God that is without error) don't apply in certain times and situations like....here and now. They talk constitutional law. They talk about religion vs. morality.

These guys are done. Finished. They and their ilk have had a shot at fixing things in government since the Reagan era, and they've been weighed in the balance and found wanting (to pull a quote from the Book of Daniel). The glory has departed (to yank a verse out of 2nd Samuel).

If anyone can email me a link to a transcript of this thing for future reference, I'll send $10 to the charity of your choice.

I don't think Barack Obama is ready to be President of The United States. If he were to enforce his stated economic policies, it would be disastrous. I think he's lived in an academic/government bubble for too long (read the article about Mr. Obama's Neighborhood in The Weekly Standard).

But on Church and State issues? General religion issues? Obama's my man. That speech he gave to the Call To Renewal group is borderline brilliant, and he probably had no idea it would eventually be broadcast all over the world.

The Republicans really need to think twice before they send out any more Witch Doctors of James Dobson's ilk to attack Obama.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Every time I host a blog carnival, I get a smattering of submissions that are too off-topic, or poorly written, or not worth sending you folks out to read. But long-time readers of this blog know that there's a special place in my heart for bizarre religious practices and beliefs. To the person raised in tradition "A", everything that goes on in traditions B,C,D,E etc through Z is a bizarre religious practice or belief.

James D. Brausch didn't reference a particular post when he gave us this one posted at FLDS View. Mr. Brausch is an insider/defender of the FLDS Church, the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints outfit that was recently in the news when the YFZ (Yearning For Zion) Ranch was raided. If you a Sociological/Anthropological interest in religion, this site is a gold mine. I suggest you start with the June 17 post about "A Communist Dictator", and wander around from there.

Obscure church elders are referenced as if they were Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. Church power struggles involving less than a few hundred people are chronicled in a manner worthy of Wagnerian heroes. Spend 30 minutes on that site, and you'll see that no matter how horrific the abuse at that ranch, it can be justified by church traditions and LDS scriptures. Amazing stuff.

Ok, let's get down to the business at hand....

Ian Bowman presents Default V: action posted at If It Feels Good Do It. Ian believes that regardless of how you feel about the concept of "No Blood For Oil", putting that particular sentiment on your Toyota's bumpersticker is a contradiction.

Archvillain presents Police State posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "Does the Constitution still matter anymore?" Archvillain's post is about the idea currently floated around Washington D.C. where the entire district would be blocked off like airport security. (They're getting a bit tired of the crime rate there.) A simpler solution would be to stop electing corrupt mayors, city councils, etc., from one particular political party. Lordy, what a mess. Archvillain also uses a picture from the dustjacket of one of my favorite novels, "Jennifer Government".

Speaking of Democrats, Leslie Carbone presents Democrats' One-Half Compromise posted at Leslie Carbone. It's a post about how the Democrats are allocating the delegates in Michigan and Florida, which has become a non-issue since the Clintons decided not to take up arms against the Obama supporters. So let me pick another of Leslie's excellent postings that might be more timely. This is one about the seventeen girls, ALL UNDER THE AGE OF 16, who formed a "pregnancy pact" at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts. Not only should contraception be available without parental concent, contraception should be passed out as the free prize in McDonald's Happy Meals. (Those are my opinions, not Leslie's.)

Adam presents Net Neutrality and its Discontents posted at Sophistpundit. This is the best thing I've read on the subject. If someone provides a service through their property, whether the property if physical or online, they should be able to dictate the terms of that service.

constitution

Michael Bass presents I’m Voting Republican: My Response posted at Debt Prison, saying, "The video I have posted below is a perfect example of the naive and misdirected ideology perpetuated by these obtuse liberals in their relentless pursuit of ever expanding government and micro-management of the daily affairs of each and every citizen. Below this video is my response."

free markets

Phil B. presents Inheritance is Not Capitalism « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Yesterday, I had an epiphany. Simply put, inheritance is anti-capitalism." Phil is a serial Carnival submitter who I generally agree with. On this one, though, I have to part company with him. If it's your money, house, or business, you should be able to do what you want with it, give it to whoever you please, etc. Most people work harder not for themselves, but for their children.

APH presents Rent Control Part 1: Microeconomics Lesson & Hoarding Market Urbanism posted at Market Urbanism, saying, "A four part series on the consequences of rent control, concluding with some solutions." This is one of Dr. Thomas Sowell's favorite topics. APH also does quite a number on it. If you restrict the price of an item to an artificially low level, less of that item will be brought to market. It ain't very complicated. Truly a beautiful political scam.

Libertarian Party

Holly Ord presents The Message is Simple posted at Menstrual Poetry. In this case, the message is that Mike Gravel woulda been a much better Libertarian Presidential Candidate than Bob Barr.

libertarianism

Phil B. presents A Plan to Destroy All Weapons of Mass Destruction posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "No leader and therefore no country can be trusted enough to control weapons of mass destruction." I agree. We've also shown that no country can be trusted to control missiles, airliners, armies, handguns, slingshots, or box knives. So I think mutual assured destruction is the best way to go. Sadly, I have to disagree with Phil again.

Charles H. Green presents What Malpractice Suits Teach Us About Trust posted at Trusted Advisor Associates, saying, "Even when it comes to something like a doctor saying sorry for messing up, politics, and laws, are involved." I've long believed that we don't have a healthcare crisis. We have a legal and insurance industry crisis. Is there anyone who doubts that healthcare costs could be cut in half if those two groups were kicked out of the room?

Livingalmostlarge presents Same Sex Rights? LivingAlmostLarge posted at LivingAlmostLarge, saying, "Why does the government get to decide who gets married? Why not separate state and religion? Make marriage religious and civil unions just a government issue mandate?" Yeah, but LAL, you don't understand.... This is a hot-button wedge issue that really effects no one except gays and lesbians, who already vote for Democrats. Therefore, it's a useful distraction, and a handy fund-raising tool for Republicans.

U.S. Politics

Doug Ragan presents My Presidential Campaign ? Oil and the Environment posted at I'm A Pundit Too, saying, "I am putting together a series of posts regarding my Presidential Campaign Platform. I am not actually running for President of the US for a few reasons. One reason is that I am 33. Another reason is that I have no political experience. And lastly, I am a very reasonable person who does not enjoy lying, therefore no one would ever vote for me. The first part of this series will be the issue of oil and the environment." But just in case things start getting really stupid in October and November, please remember Doug as a possible write-in candidate.